The amazibulous Black Bean Brownies

There is a sort of geeky fascination for making traditional sinful sweet treats out of ingredients as unexpected there as beans or zucchini or carrots can be. When I first stumbled upon a recipe for black bean brownies, my curiosity was piqued, and I knew that sooner or later I would end up in the kitchen mashing beans with cocoa powder. Which I did, with my hands, as I had no blender.

I based my first experiments on a very simple recipe found here, which I fine-tuned for better texture. It's been a long way: the first batch I baked, more than half a year ago, was ruined by the unrefined Stevia powder I dumped in and barely edible because of the bitter aftertaste (bitter taste, even). I put away the idea until I got the heavy-duty blender I had been longing for for months and rediscovered the bottle of sweetener among the baking supplies, had a second try, this time overcooked, then switched the regular cake pan for a mini-cakes tray, and it turned out wonderfully. The latest batch was almost there, so I have to try once again (no problem, really) without the pinch of baking powder and greasing the pan with margarine instead of oil. But all in all, it's all the greatness of brownies with less than 20 carbs a pop (I haven't checked, but I'd guess regular brownies amount to two or three times that value) and, best of all, it's whipped up in a breeze. Well, in a blender.

I apologize for presenting a non-vegan recipe for starters -- the versions of vegan black bean brownies I've seen around are not satisfying my requirement of no-fancypants (agave nectar? raw sugar? whole wheat flour?) and I aimed at reproducing the deep chocolatey taste of the real brownie (so no vanilla, no coffee, and most importantly no banana). Trials using flax seed meal as binder will certainly happen someday, although I am torn between having an excuse to eat brownies again and wasting ingredients on a version that may end up as a chocolate bean spread rather than a cake.


Black Beans Brownies (makes 6 individual brownies)

Ingredients
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed, or preferably 1/2 C (100g) dried black beans, soaked overnight and cooked until soft
- 3 eggs
- 3 T oil
- 2 T yoghurt (optional)
- 4 T cocoa powder, or more to taste
- a handful of chopped nuts (pecan nuts and walnuts are my favourite there)
- half a bar or one third of a bar of dark chocolate (50-35g, milk free, 60% cocoa), chopped
- 1/4 C (two heaped tablespoons) of instant oats or regular rolled oats ground in the food processor
- equivalent to 3/4 C (150g) or less sugar in liquid sweetener
- pinch of salt

1. Cook the beans soaked overnight, until soft to very soft. Baking soda in the cooking water helps greatly. You can cook the beans in advance and store them in the fridge for a couple of days.

2. Grind a bit the rolled oats in the food processor or blender if you don't have instant oats.

3. Add the beans, cocoa, sweetener, eggs, salt, oil and yoghurt if using and let your food processor do the job, scraping the sides once in a while and mixing with a spoon to make sure there are no remaining entire beans.

4. Grease the pan (I am using a mini-cakes tray, six times 2 per 4 inches). Solid fat like margarine seems to work better, while oil appears to be absorbed too fast to prevent sticking.

5. Chop the chocolate bar and the nuts and incorporate to the runny batter, mixing with a spoon in the bowl of the blender.

6. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for approximately half an hour at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Try with a knife after 25 minutes and take the tray out of the oven when the brownies are set and the knife clean. Cooking time may vary depending on the pan used, but individual mini-cakes or muffin trays seem to yield the best results.


And voilà, intense chocolate brownies at less than 20 carbs a piece (exact calculation coming soon), and most likely more nutritious for vegetarians and vegans than the flour-based kind! The oats improve the compact texture of the original treat, and the tiny bits of dark chocolate, still melted when eaten straight out of the oven, are heavenly. They also keep very well in the fridge for quite a few days and make a great dessert for a lunch on the go or a picnic. Really, what's not to like?